Hull KR prop Tilse retires

Hull Kingston Rovers prop Dane Tilse has retired from professional rugby league with immediate effect for family reasons.

Tilse has decided the time is right to hang up his boots in order to spend more time with his young daughter in Australia.

A former Junior Kangaroo and New South Wales under-19s representative, Tilse made over 200 appearances in the NRL for Canberra Raiders before switching to the Lightstream Stadium, where he racked up 48 games for Rovers since joining the club midway through 2015.

Tilse, who will now return home to Newcastle in Australia in the near future, said: “This is something that has weighed on my mind since I returned to  Rovers after the off season.

“I had nine weeks with family and friends and I’ve found it tough since I’ve been back over here.

“My daughter has been at the forefront of my mind and I came to the realisation over the Christmas period that I need to be at home with her.

“She’s four-years-old now and I haven’t been around very much, playing away from home first with Canberra and then Hull KR.

“I apologise to the club because I’ve messed them around by coming back over here, but it was never my intention to cause any problems.

“I’ve mucked myself around as well by sorting out houses and things over here so it’s been a major decision for me to retire but I’m comfortable in knowing that I’m doing the right thing.

“I’ve not got anything concrete in place back home but I’m looking forward to spending more time with my daughter and moving onto the next stage in my life. I’ve had a good run and I’ve played professionally for a long time, so I’m proud of my achievements in the game.

“I’d like to thank Hull KR for the opportunity to come over here and the staff and supporters for making it a great experience.

“The most important thing for me has always been my teammates, whether that be back home when I first started or over here at Rovers, so I’d like to thank everybody who’s been a part of that journey and wish them all the best.”

Head coach Tim Sheens said: “Dane has come to this decision over the past few days and we respect that.

“I didn’t have the chance to get to know him as well as others at the club but he’s been a rock amongst the group both for his consistency as a player and for being a strong character on and off the field.

“He’s had a good career but he’s decided it’s the right time to retire, go back to his family and start the next part of his life and he goes with our best wishes for the future.

“We’re now in the position where we need to move forward and find a replacement for Dane and this frees up some salary cap for us to be able to do that.

“It’s reasonably late in the market place but players become available at different stages and it’s a case of finding the right people at the right time.”